CityTV is the city of San Diego’s government access cable channel, and while the downtown-based operation is small, the staff has mastered the art of doing more with less. The 24-hour channel provides live coverage of the San Diego City Council and other public meetings, as well as broadcasting forums, public service announcements and the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast. “We cover anywhere from 20 to 35 public meetings a week and 150 to 200 press conferences a year, so we’re busy,” said station manager Rick Bollinger. That’s impressive given the fact that there are only three people on staff. The hours can also be long. “If a council meeting goes until 9 or 9:30 at night, we’ll stay live on the air until it’s over and then we’re back in the office bright and early the next morning,” Bollinger said. CityTV launched in 1998 and back then, the staff produced feature stories, news segments and talk shows in addition to covering live City Council and public meetings. “We had a bigger staff, plus four to five independent contractors, so we could do more,” Bollinger said. However, budget cutbacks in 2007 changed all that, so the staff members had to figure out how to best utilize their limited resources. Despite the challenges, they’re making it work. “We’re a lean, mean, machine but make no mistake, we’re bringing it,” Bollinger laughed. “I like the fact that we’re doing something that matters to people,” he said. “There are so many people out there who truly care about our city and want to know what’s going on, so we get to share that information with them.” The Internet also plays a key role. “People can watch us online and that’s been a great resource. Our online numbers are good,” Bollinger said. CityTV is available on Channel 24 on Time Warner and Cox cable, and Channel 99 on AT&T.